Yet this debate has set the stage for prompt enactment in 1983. Legislation in this field is truly urgently needed. Although there are great local needs caused by this national problem of unrestricted illegal immigration. unfairly hurting a State like Florida for failure of national assumption of national responsibilities by the Federal Government. and although there are ethnic sensibilities that make some solutions difficult. the paramount national responsibility clearly requires a national law to meet the unmet national challenge to face the high incidence of illegal immigration at a time when there is high unemployment in our country. difficult economic times and unmet social and welfare needs for our own citizens. One thing that has impressed me in this debate is the sincerity of some in arguing that people who look like and speak like illegal aliens may find it awkward to be challenged when they are American citizens seeking employment. This together with the objection some have to identification cards has been presented as an obstacle to any realistic solution. Prior to the debate I had guessed that such arguments were largely the result of pressure from people sympathetic to illegal aliens and to unrestricted immigration. however the debate showed that one could feel. like most Americans. that we must reduce the inflow of illegal aliens who are taking needed jobs and pushing welfare costs upward to impractical levels. and one could still feel that a nonalien identification card could be a point of sensitivity for some legal Americans. Perhaps the answer may be in not allowing illegal aliens to be holders of ordinary social security cards and creating a rebutable presumption that one who does not have such a card should show by some other means. like a birth certificate or naturalization papers that he is not an illegal alien. In any event it would seem that something reasonable could be worked out. Mr. Speaker. when President Carter asked me to come to the White House with others to discuss the immigration problem shortly after an idealistic speech he made on the subject. and which was misinterpreted. I urged him to seize the American ships and other illegal shipping that were illegally operating and making the violation of our immigration laws possible. I pointed out that there are probably more than a billion of orientals and others who have purely economic reasons for desiring to come to our country and that we could not possibly absorb such numbers. His prompt decision to seize the illegal shipping was the most effective thing done to minimize the threat of even greater numbers of illegal aliens coming. Vigorous leadership like President Carter displayed in this instance is what is needed today both from the executive and legislative branches of our Government. Mr. Speaker. I have just received a letter from Gov. Bob Graham of Florida who is chairman of the National Governors Association Task Force on Immigration and Refugee Issues. which I incorporate at the end of my remarks. Clearly Congress must act promptly and fairly to meet the challenge of illegal aliens coming into our country. Governor Graham wrote me as of December 16:
Identified stereotypes
Generalization that people who look and speak like illegal aliens may be challenged when seeking employment.